The Fig Tree

My fig tree is so full of figs this year I will have figs to give away and make fig jam. Most years I have figs but the first ones usually get frozen. This year the first ones that came on are about to ripen. Figs have a continuous crop.
Here is a little bit of information about figs---Have you ever considered what the fig fruit is? It's an unusual fruit. If you doubt this , ask yourself have you ever seen a fig tree bloom, you see peach trees bloom and pears ---and other fruit trees but when you eat a fig you are actually eating flower and all. It blooms from the inside and forms the fig and when you open it up it is sort of strange looking but delicious.

My fig tree is old and close to 20ft or more tall. My mother had this tree she ordered from a catalog. The tree was put at the back door of her house. It grew and grew and one day when she was not able to do all the things she once did---she asked me to come dig that tree up. You have never seen such a root but I dug it up and transplanted part of it to another place in her yard and brought the rest to my house. I put it on the west side of my cabin thinking it might not make it ----Well it has made it many years probably 20.

The parable of the fig tree is in Luke13:6-9---There is other mentions of the fig tree in the Bible.

Farmer Man pruned it one time to my horror---but it did come back.
Farmer Man is not better but I do get him to go out some but he can't take this weather and should not go out in it right now. He still thinks there is two of me.

Love,
Marie [aunt maria]

Life and Living

I wonder where the time goes--it goes so fast.
June is almost here and it seems it was only yesterday it was February and snowing. I am glad spring is here and my trees are full of fruit. The cherry tree had lots of cherries but they were so small it was hard to prepare them. The cherry pie was good.
The garden is coming along but with my shoulder still weak i don't have a lot in there. I did have spinach this week and it was very good.

We went to Shoney's tonight and met my sister Deb, she came from Pulaski and we had a good visit and meal together. Farmer Man asked Deb after our meal if she knew who I was? He had another little stroke this week and every day he has been very confused.
He hasn't known me this week. He asked me lots of questioned trying to figure things out. I try to kelp him --I told him not to worry I was here to help him. He said he was confused he just couldn't understand how things got this way. It is hard for him i can see it in his eyes.

"We win by tenderness;we conquer by forgiveness." ---Fredrick William Robertson

I pray I can live up to this.

Love,
Marie{aunt maria}

Happiness!!!

Benjamin Franklin says--"Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of the mind than on outward circumstances." Having the HEART right with God must be where it begins.

I was happy I got to go to church today. Bro. Dough was not able to be there after the latest surgery. We are all praying for his complete healing to take place. He has had a very hard time after heart surgery ---it has led into many other surgeries.
He keeps on going soon after each surgery.

I will just say a word about the day with Farmer Man. Today he wanted to know where our white car was. We don't have a white car just a red truck. He was thinking of yesterday when our daughter came in her white car. Next thing he was in bed ---I ask," What's wrong"? I am mad about my car being gone. I explained Betty came in her white car and he was just thinking it was our car. He eventually got up and never mentioned it again.

I want to get back to my painting studio and be creative again. If I don't get back in there my chickens keep trying to take over the inside of the house as well as the front porch. All the old wooden boxes and other antique things out there is where they lay their eggs. I have a cat hole in the back door and one smart hen went in there and made her nest on my paint table. I kept running her out so now she is back on front porch.

Have a blessed week.
Love,
Marie{aunt maria}

Some new things!

I have been missing for a while. I thought when spring got here and I could get out and work in my garden and do other things outside---everything would be better. For some reason this doesn't seem to be the case. I have had some things to hinder me. I fell as I told you earlier this year and had to go to therapy for a while. It did help me but my shoulder is still weak and I have to take care of it.

Well about a month ago another freak accident that left me in much-much pain. A can of pinto beans fell off the pantry shelf onto my big toe. I ran hopping and moaning --Instantly my toe nail was black. That night I wouldn't have been in any more pain if I had been in labor to give birth through my big toe than I was that night. I slept about 3hrs after I took pain med.--The next two days I thought I would die it hurt so. I had to sit with it on a pillow with really no relief.I had many offers to drill holes in it ---but I couldn't stand for the sheet to even touch it. I did go to the Dr on the third day and it was swollen in a strut and black and red and inflamed looking. He took an instrument with a hot wire on the end and burned three little holes in the toenail----OH-- the instant relief, did not hurt any more blood ran out and now the whole toe is pealing off. The fever and swelling caused the skin to come off and my toenail is going to come off too. I am sure you liked this play by play story of my toe experience. I just hope you never have a full can of anything to fall on your toe.

Farmer Man is still getting worse in his memory and knowing who some of us are at times. He does go to the barn with me and feed the goats now if we feels like it.
I have a new kitty out at the barn and he likes her. He has never liked cats but he likes her. She has some kittens and they are just now showing their faces. I hope they are as sweet as Pinkie their mother.

Things happening on Hill Farm.

Customize a photo album

Chick-Chicks and Sunshine!

I am so glad to see baby chicks and spring time sunshine!! I am doing very little in my garden -still nursing this shoulder and [yes]- it is getting better but not fast enough. I am still going for therapy three times a week.
Farmer Man has been very sick again, last week end he started having high fever and had UTI again. He is better but tells me he never feels good. I know he does not feel well but the week before Easter he helped me a little outside, we painted two outside tables with me giving him the instructions he had to have to be able to do it. It is so sad to see him seem to be so weak. I can't take him anywhere any more much he gets so tired. He does go with me to help feed the goats and chickens. I think he needs to go out and get some exercise and be in the sun some.

We went on with Easter even though Farmer Man was sick. He stayed in bed most of the day and got up in the afternoon. Most everyone came and all the children had fun hiding eggs and hunting them. We always make lots of pictures at Easter. When my mother was still with us we always went to her house and had good food and egg hunting. Well all my kids, grand kids and great grand kids do that here now. This was the most beautiful and warm Easter we have had in a long time--we certainly enjoyed the day---Farmer Man watched the kids hunting eggs out the window.

My new baby chicks are growing so fast. They are bantams and I didn't know what breed i was getting but now they are getting feathered and two of them are Frizzles.
The feathers curl up they are so cute.

I thank God for the variety of creatures he has given us to care for or just look at--and all the beautiful colors.

Love,
Marie{ Aunt Maria}

Ecclesiastes 1:1---Right time for everything--

This picture is Farmer Man with the youngest great grandchild Fisher--Cute--
It is finally time for spring--by the calender it is and some days it gives us a glimpse into the sunshine and I love it. I am enjoying it as much as I can.
I did have to start therapy for my injured shoulder--and am looking forward to it being back in good working order soon. I am having to do the exercises to strengthen it it has gotten so weak from the pain i was having and not being able to use it very much. Enough about that I will be back in good shape soon.

I do not in any way know how to be a writer nor do I know how to write poetry---I am
a child of God and he did give me some things to do and a talent of creating things in the way he leads me to do them so I wrote something this week ---titled,
"I Saw and Heard God Today"
When I awoke today I saw the Sunshine-
When I awoke today I heard the breathing of my spouse-
When I awoke today I had food to eat-

When I went outside I saw all God's creatures and heard them speak to me-
When I walked about I saw the birds and heard their songs-

When I walked about I saw the colors of the creatures in my care--white--red--black--brown--hazelnut--spotted and mottled-
When I walked about I saw the flowers God has given to me to enjoy--yellow--white-- green--purple-
Gather the flowers I give you and enjoy and give to others to enjoy too-

Today I saw and Heard God in Everything.

Thank you Father.

Love Marie{aunt maria]
Wed. March24, 2010